Michael Gallup wants to be 'like' Dez Bryant but not 'yet' ready to replace him for Cowboys

Former CSU star Michael Gallup listens to instructions from Dallas Cowboys receivers coach Sanjay Lal during a rookie minicamp Friday in Frisco, Texas. Gallup was selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the NFL draft as a potential replacement for star Dez Bryant, who was released in April.(Photo: Michael Ainsworth/AP)

Former CSU star Michael Gallup said he’s not trying to fill the shoes of Dez Bryant, the Dallas Cowboys' all-time leading receiver.

He’s simply trying to be the best he can be as a rookie trying to find his niche with the team.

Bryant was released in April, just weeks before the Cowboys selected Gallup in the third round of the NFL draft.

“Dez is a great player. It’s hard for a rookie to come in and just replace all of the stuff that he’s done here,” Gallup told reporters over the weekend during a rookie minicamp at the Cowboys' training facility in Frisco, Texas. “We’re out here trying to practice to be like him, obviously. But I’m not coming in here just to replace him. That’s not my role yet.”

Gallup, a consensus All-American and finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver last fall, caught 176 passes for 2,685 yards and 21 touchdowns in two seasons at Colorado State University. He has not yet signed a contract with the Cowboys, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Tuesday, CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso made Gallup his early pick for NFL Rookie of the Year based on his skill set and the opportunity he'll have to immediately become the Cowboys' primary receiver.

Gallup was one of eight players off last year’s CSU team participating in an NFL rookie minicamp over the weekend.

Here is a look at how the others fared:

Nick Stevens: The quarterback had a tryout for the second straight week, this time with the Redskins. He was one of three quarterbacks the team brought in for its rookie minicamp. There was no news about how any of the three performed during sessions that were closed to the public and media. Stevens, who had a similar tryout the previous weekend with the Green Bay Packers, was not immediately available for comment Monday.

Detrich Clark: The receiver was waived by the Atlanta Falcons. None of the four wide receivers who participated in the Falcons' rookie tryouts earned an immediate spot on a team’s expanded 90-man roster.

Clark, who had signed with the team as an undrafted free agent after the draft, was waived Saturday to make room on the Falcons' roster for defensive tackle Terrell McClain, a seven-year veteran who played for the Washington Redskins in 2017.

Dalyn Dawkins: The running back signed his undrafted free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans when he arrived Thursday for their rookie minicamp and remains on the team’s 90-man roster. One report on the Titans’ minicamp suggested the team should add former Iowa running back Akrum Wadley to fill the role as a receiver out of the backfield that Dawkins is also hoping to earn.

Jake Bennett: The center participated in a tryout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the team's rookie minicamp but was not one of the two players the team signed to rookie free-agent contracts.

Former CSU linebacker Evan Colorito (Saints) and offensive lineman Trae Moxley (Cardinals) also had tryouts during rookie minicamps. Neither of those teams has yet announced any new signings based on those tryouts.

Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news and listen to him talk CSU sports at 11:35 a.m. Thursdays on KFKA radio (AM 1310) and 10:45 a.m. Saturdays on Denver’s ESPN radio (AM 1600).